United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

1. In the past year, has the governing body of your organization taken any decisions to advance sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and ensure that no one is left behind? If yes, please briefly mention these decisions taken by your governing body in 2024 and provide the respective symbols. 

In the period under review, the following resolutions were adopted at the twentieth session of the UNIDO General Conference (27 November – 1 December 2023):

1. The UNIDO Strategy for Africa 2023-2025 (GC.20/Res.1) outlines the Organization’s goals for advancing sustainable industrial development across Africa, supporting green and digital transitions, and aligning with international and regional frameworks such as the AU's Agenda 2063. It aims to foster economic growth, create productive jobs, drive structural transformation, and build partnerships for resource mobilization and financing for industrialization in line with UNIDO’s mandate of accelerating sustainable and inclusive industrialization, its thematic priorities and the SDGs.
2. The resolution on Strengthening Member States’ capacities in developing productive, resilient and sustainable supply chains (GC.20/Res 2) emphasizes the importance of technology transfer, climate resilient industrial development, and equitable integration of SMEs into global supply chains. Through this resolution, Member States requested UNIDO to work closely with private and public sectors to promote sustainable practices, providing targeted support for SMEs, women, and youth to ensure shared benefits from global trade.
3. The resolution on UNIDO’s activities related to the Vienna Ministerial Declaration for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) (GC.20/Res.3) emphasizes UNIDO's commitment to supporting LDCs in their industrial development efforts. It requests UNIDO to prioritize LDCs' needs, aligning with the Doha Programme of Action (2022–2031) encouraging collaboration with Member States and resource mobilization to support technical projects and policy services. UNIDO is also invited to contribute to the Inter-agency Task Force on LDC Graduation and to report progress annually to the UN Secretary-General.
4. With Decision IDB.51/Dec.8, the Industrial Development Board endorsed the UNIDO Climate Change Strategy, developed in response to climate change in consultation with Member States. The Decision mandates UNIDO to continue its efforts to fight climate change, as a key pillar of the organization’s priorities in line with the Medium-term Programme Framework 2022-2025.  

2. During 2024, what actions have your entities taken to improve coordination among UN system entities across policy and normative activities as well as with ECOSOC subsidiary bodies with a view to increase impact and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda? Please provide any relevant links. 

• UNIDO (through UNEN) is leading the preparation of a UN-wide policy brief on industrial policy for the SDGs to serve as analytical evidence on the link between industrial policy and key SDG transitions (including digitalization, food systems and the energy transition).  
• Policy briefs as part of the UN Interagency Task Team on STI for the SDGs.  
• As part of the UN Inter-agency Task Force on Financing for Development, UNIDO developed a financing brief on: “Scaling up investment in sustainable industrialization to close the SDG financing gap”, as an input to the elements paper for the FFD 4 outcome document.
• In response to the Joint SDG Fund’s call for submissions aimed at supporting the Just Energy Transition, UNIDO has collaborated with sister UN agencies to develop multiple project proposals, including the proposal with International Labour Organization (ILO) for Jordan.
• As active member of the UN Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on STI for the SDGs, UNIDO continues to contribute to several activities, including:
  • In collaboration with IATT Work Stream 6, UNIDO participates in the development and delivery of training and capacity development activities to support STI and industrial policymaking aligned with the SDGs, such as the Asia and the Pacific online training targeting policymakers, in collaboration with the STEPAN network (18-21 November 2024).
  • UNIDO contributed to the  9th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (STI Forum) through a side-event titled “Strengthening instruments for policy implementation in science, technology and innovation”, organized by the IATT, UNESCO and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Secretariat.
• UNIDO participated in the twenty-seventh session of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, held in Geneva on 15-19 April 2024. There, at a dedicated exhibition, the Organization showcased its work on STI and its two major initiatives on Artificial Intelligence and other technologies associated with the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR): AIM Global and AISMA.  
• On UN 2.0, the UNIDO Innovation Lab is working with the UN Global Pulse, the SG’s Innovation Lab, to pilot the cultivation of innovation skills through joint activities in the innovation pillar of the Quintet for Change.  
• UNIDO contributes to UNGIS – the UN System caucus of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) and is a regular contributor of the AI for Good Summit convened by ITU.  

3. In the past year, has your organization organized any intergovernmentally mandated conferences, forums or events that contributed to the achievement of the SDGs, or has been in the process of planning and organizing any such mandated events to be held next year?  

4. In the past year, has your organization published or planned to publish any analytical work, guidance or reference materials, or toolkits to guide and support the implementation of SDGs at national, regional and global levels? Please select up to three to highlight, especially those that address interlinkages among the SDGs.  

5. The United Nations has defined six key transitions, or transformative entry points, that can have catalytic and multiplier effects across the SDGs and which have been guiding the UN development system work since the 2023 SDG Summit. In the past year, how has your organization contributed to these transformative actions and how various actors are being rallied behind them to mobilize further leadership and investment to bring progress to scale? Please provide any relevant links.  

UNIDO’s technical assistance and policy advice contributes to all SDG transitions, given the strong interlinkages between SDG 9 and other SDGs.

1) Food systems:  

• UNIDO’s Integrated agro-food parks (IAFPs) programme enhances food systems by improving infrastructure, fostering supply chain efficiency, mobilizing investments and promoting climate-smart agriculture, helping to achieve sustainable development and strengthen food security.  
• The Agrifood Systems Transformation Accelerator (ASTA) – a joint initiative by FAO and UNIDO supports investments in food system transformation in LDCs.  
• UNIDO organized the World Without Hunger Conference in Ethiopia, 5-7 November 2024 together with the Government of Ethiopia and African Union, consisting of solution-oriented technical sessions, an investment forum, and a high-level political forum. 
• Through the UN Joint Programme with UNDP, UNEP, and UNICEF, UNIDO’s project on Accelerating SDGs Investment in Indonesia (ASSIST) in Indonesia aims to boost agrifood productivity by promoting sustainable agricultural practices, including low-input and organic methods. This initiative supports food safety, strengthens value chains, and enhances the resilience and competitiveness of SMEs in alignment with the SDGs.

2) Energy access and affordability:  

• UNIDO coordinates the Industrial Deep Decarbonisation Initiative (IDDI) and the Green Public Procurement campaign, as well as the International Hydrogen Trade Forum to advance clean energy sources in industry.  
• Through its Global Programme for Hydrogen in Industry, UNIDO supports developing countries overcoming barriers and encourages a just hydrogen transition. The Programme aims to guide the development of polices, standards, skills, financing instruments, innovation and coordination between key stakeholders that play an essential role in the development of a just and sustainable hydrogen economy.  
• The Accelerate-to-Demonstrate Facility is another large-scale initiative to accelerate clean energy innovation in developing countries.  
• Global Alliance for Responsible and Green Minerals aims to promote a socially responsible, environmentally sound mining sector. Initially targeting developing countries rich in critical minerals in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the Alliance will establish binding environmental and social standards, backed by an independent certification system. This initiative is developed with the objective to create local jobs, enhance value addition, uphold human rights, and minimize environmental impact in mining regions. UNIDO will support policy guidance, capacity building, and certification implementation, collaborating with governments, industry, and international partners to drive sustainable, inclusive economic development in the minerals sector.
• Through its Global Impact Programme for Clean Cooking, UNIDO is supporting developing countries in Sub Saharan Africa to reduce energy poverty in clean cooking and achieve SDG 7. Through the launch of a multi-stakeholder networking platform "the Council on Ethanol Clean Cooking" during COP 27, UNIDO has mobilized 22 member countries and 26 partner organizations in scaling clean cooking through industrial supply chains for modern clean cooking fuels and technologies. (www.cleancookingcouncil.org)

3) Digital connectivity

• UNIDO significantly shapes global Digital, 4IR, AI policies and standards, engaging in multilateral and UN platforms like the G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG), WSIS, AI for Good, the Global Digital Compact, and BRICS PartNIR. UNIDO brings the perspective of developing countries and G.77 as well as the role of digital and emerging technologies in the productive sectors.
• The Global Alliance on AI for Industry and Manufacturing (AIM Global) fosters global multi-stakeholder partnerships and inclusive dialogue to promote responsible AI use while shaping forward-thinking policies and contributing to achieving the SDGs. UNIDO will operationalize its first AIM Global Centre of Excellence in Shanghai, China, which was launched in July 2024. The first AIM Global Forum will be held in Vienna in December 2024.
• The Alliance for I4.0 and Smart Manufacturing in Africa (AISMA), launched by UNIDO, is a cooperative network of experts in the field of Industry 4.0, working together as a think tank and hub for connecting stakeholders, generating innovative ideas and initiatives, and implementing them with the aim of unlocking the potential of Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing in Africa.  
• UNIDO is conducting an empirical and policy-oriented comparative analysis of the level of readiness for the digitalization of manufacturing in African and Latin American countries, respectively. A first output is this working paper “Digitalization of manufacturing in Africa and Latin America: A foundational capability analysis”, which looks into several dimensions from infrastructure through productive capacities and countries’ ability to engage with advanced digital technologies. This piece of research offers an empirical foundation for an Industrial Policy Lab currently being piloted in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In the later case, policymakers from Ecuador and Paraguay are engaged in the design of initiatives to foster digitalization of industrial SMEs.  

4) Education

• Industrial skills for the future: LKDF - Learning and Knowledge Development Facility (lkdfacility.org)
• SDG 9 learning academy  
• E-learning: South-South and Triangular Industrial cooperation: South-South Cooperation e-Learning course | UNIDO

5) Jobs and social protection

• Job creations: Creating jobs in Lebanon’s agro-industrial sector | UNIDO
• Sustainable supply chains: UNIDO and Sustainable Supply Chains_0.pdf
• Green jobs: e.g. Green technology: fighting disease and creating jobs in India | UNIDO
• Women entrepreneurship: Empowering Indonesian Female Entrepreneurs in the Traditional Textile Sector | UNIDO
• Increasing income through productivity boost: Harvesting prosperity: UNIDO training boosts income of Ghana farming families | UNIDO

6) Climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution

• UNIDO leads the GEF-funded Global Cleantech Innovation Programme (GCIP) which covers over 15 developing countries and has a grant value of approximately USD 30 million. The GCIP supports entrepreneurs (both start-ups and small to medium-sized enterprises) with innovative solutions for climate change mitigation across different areas, including energy, water, materials, and waste. It offers business acceleration and investment facilitation services while also enhancing the capacity of national innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem actors.  
• Charting a Blue Future: UNIDO's Blue Industry Contribution to the Blue Economy Agenda seeks to enhance sustainable blue industry development in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and coastal countries. The publication showcases successful case studies demonstrating how interventions in Blue Industries foster sustainable livelihoods, create jobs, and support economic, social, and environmental well-being in ocean-dependent nations.
• UNIDO, jointly with UNEP, supports the work of the Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency (GACERE), an alliance of governments committed to promoting circular economy at the global level. GACERE works across sectors to explore the value of circular economy and resource efficiency in order to address the triple planetary crisis. 

6. Please provide strategies (policies, guidance, plan) and/or collective actions taken to implement the 2024 Ministerial Declaration of the Economic and Social Council and the high-level political forum on sustainable development convened under the auspices of the Council. Please note any challenges foreseen and provide any relevant links. 

SDG 2:  

• UNIDO is organizing the World Without Hunger Conference on 5-7 November 2024, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, together with the African Union Commission (AUC), and the Government of Ethiopia, with technical assistance of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).To deliberate on the gravest challenges of our time, the Conference consists of solution-oriented technical sessions, an investment forum, and a high-level political forum that will result in a Conference Declaration to achieve Zero Hunger.    

SDG 7:  

• UNIDO signed a Joint statement on “Sustainable Bioenergy for Climate and Development Goals" together with 8 other international organizations (FAO, UNEP, UNECE, IEA, IEA Bioenergy, IRENA, CEM Biofuture platform, GBEP) with a view to  (1) Raise awareness on the significance of sustainable bioenergy for climate change mitigation and sustainable development, whilst highlighting the importance of good governance to maximize opportunities and minimize risks; and (2) to address prejudice and misinformation surrounding sustainable bioenergy: the statement is deliberately punctual to avoid misinterpretation and incorporate the views of all endorsing organizations.

SDG 13:

• The Industrial Deep Decarbonisation Initiative, launched in 2021 by UNIDO and the Clean Energy Ministerial is the largest and most diverse coalition of governments, companies and organizations working to create an enabling environment for the deep decarbonization of industry, starting with steel, cement and concrete. IDDI aims to spur early demand for low and near-zero emission steel, cement and concrete through green public procurement by:
  • Developing guidelines to harmonize emission accounting methodologies, and developing standards to define low and near-zero emission products.
  • Developing a global framework on low and near-zero emission steel, cement and concrete with publicly accessible data that is easy to navigate using tailored digital tools.
  • Establishing globally recognized targets for the public procurement of low and near-zero emission steel, cement and concrete. 

7. What collective efforts is your entity undertaking to support countries in accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially in the areas of Goal 3 (Good health and well-being), Goal 5 (Gender equality), Goal 8 (Decent work and economic growth), Goal 14 (Life below water) and Goal 17 (Partnerships), which will go under in-depth review at the HLPF in 2025? Please note any achievements, challenges and gaps and provide any relevant links. 

Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth 

Goal 5: Gender equality 

Goal 14: Life below water